


Dreams That Matter: Behind the Scenes

by Biowarenerd



Series: Dreams That Matter [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Just what the title is, My mind is jumbled
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 15:00:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11946702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biowarenerd/pseuds/Biowarenerd
Summary: Basically what the title says. I talk about my thoughts on Dreams That Matter(I shamelessly advertise it)





	Dreams That Matter: Behind the Scenes

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this is very random and moves around a lot. I sort of just wrote what I was thinking of at the time. So don't expect this to have any sort of order to it

Okay for this, I'm just going to let my thoughts roll. Though my plan for this is to talk about my inspirations and processes for Dreams That Matter.  
So I'll just jump right in.

“Dreams That Matter” started out like all other stories: as an idea. I had just finished my upteenth playthrough of DAI and I started asking myself, “What would happen if all the protagonists from all three dragon age games met in person?” The question intrigued me so much, I decided to write a little paragraph about it. That little paragraph soon turned into a big paragraph and then a full chapter. It was after I had finished writing this ‘chapter’ when I decided to screw it and just start start writing my own full length story, revolving around how the Warden, Champion, and Inquisitor would meet and ultimately get along. I knew that in order for them all to meet, it'd have to be sometime after or during the events of DAI, so I figured if I was going to do it, I might as well go all in. So I started another playthrough, but this time I took pictures of the cutscenes and dialogue because I wanted to be accurate in both the scenes and dialogue. I remember most of the dialogue and especially a lot of the banter between the characters, but I wanted to be as perfect as possible.   
With the main idea in my head, I set out to make an Inquisitor. I knew even before I started that I wanted the main character/Inquisitor to have a troubled past (because all heroes have troubled pasts these days). But I didn't want to just have the protagonist have like, say, someone close to him die or something like that. I wanted them to have gone through something truly horrible and come out on top alive, but thoroughly messed up. I also knew I wanted to keep the default human Maxwell Trevelyn name; but without using Maxwell as his name. I shortened the name to Max because one, it'd be less weird to write, and two, I just liked the name Max.   
So as I was pondering how I was going to make whomever Max becomes, have a troubled past, I found myself thinking of what could happen to him to make him quote on quote ‘messed up’. And then I had a thought. What if this Max character happened to have been saved by none other than the Warden? It would further my fantasy of having all three main protagonists know each other. Then I thought, what if Max had been at the Ferelden Circle Tower during the Fifth Blight when the Warden killed all the demons inside it? And right then, Max's backstory of his time in the Tower was born.   
Now I could go on forever about every little decision I've made over this story though I highly doubt you want me to. But I'm going to anyway (to some degree).  
When I came up with the whole Tower idea, there was somewhat of a problem: I had no intention of making Max a mage. Only I couldn't think of a reason why someone neither mage or Templar, would be at the Tower. And that's where Evelyn came in. If Max wasn't going to be a mage, how about a family member? So I thought up of Evelyn in all her cute big sister glory. (Be mindful that I'm simply letting my thoughts flow so there might not be a certain direction I'm going with this stuff). Evelyn was to be the mage/reason why Max would be at the Tower in the first place. And it would be she that he goes through the horrors of that place with.   
Obviously, I am a big fan of the games and so I know a lot of the lore, etc etc. So even before going in, I knew I wanted Max and Evelyn to get trapped fighting the abominations and demons. I wanted Max to have a scarring experience and what could be better than facing countless horrific creatures while protecting your sister? And on the topic of scars, I wanted Max to have a lot of them far before the character of Max was even created. His scars were to be a link to his past but also a reminder that even the best of people come bearing baggage, or ‘scars’, things they have gone through that helped shape them.   
Max is, to put it simply, me. Max is very much a mirror of myself, who I am and who I wish I was. He is a short, sarcastic, often immature guy who is secretly vulnerable on the inside, just like i am. But being the hero, he's also brave, compassionate, and overall a swell guy. So in stating that, he's nothing like me.   
Max looks and acts just like what I want to look and act like ( minus the scarring). He is the version of myself come to life in a story. But also not. Max is, for obvious reasons, is my favorite character. Wracked by all the terrible stuff that's happened to him, his disownment, the Tower, his nightmares, and the Anchor, he's still down to earth and still tries to see the good in people and make their day a little better. He's a new guy, unused to being in charge, not to mention unused to bearing the burden of saving the world. Unlike Hawke and Aiden, he has no idea what he's doing ninety nine percent of the time. Which is honestly his best attribute: he doesn't know what he's doing. He's not someone born a hero, he's just a hero because circumstance put him out front. He isn't mature enough let alone qualified, to save the world and be the hero. And like some of the other characters notice, the fact that he isn't leader material makes him a fantastic leader. Because he is so likable, and so ‘not noble’, he is a good leader. Because of all the heroes, he's the only one that seems human.   
Like I said, I made Max into my own fantasized image. He is on the short side like I am, had dirty blonde hair like me, has bright blue eyes like I do, and is scarred like I am(on the inside I would say; I'm not physically scarred like he is thank goodness). So basically, he's an older version of myself of a version of myself I wish I was.   
And unlike me, he has a lady backing him up. And that woman backing him up and making sure he stays sane is none other than Cassandra. I love Cassandra and I didn't want to change anything about her. All I did was make her a little bit funnier(I think). Cassandra was always going to be his center, a big reason why Max tries so hard to be the hero the world thinks he is. His relationship with Cassandra, like many lasting relationships, started out a little rough. But it gradually eases out until they become friends then lovers, then soulmates if you believe that kind of stuff. They balance each other out, she makes him more serious and he makes her more playful. The inspiration for their relationship, I derived from my parents who (personality wise) is a splitting image of Max's and Cass’s. And Evelyn is a mix of my own two sisters, smart and mature but at the same time, outgoing and fun.  
Now some of you may have noticed some the dialogue and stuff sometimes sounds a little like real life quotes and such. That's because I like to nod here and there at things I like. I'm not going to tell you anymore than that (go back and see if you can find any of my nods and winks to events people or other culture things).   
Now for Aiden and Hawke. For me, making Hawke was easier than breathing. I love the default sarcastic Hawke and so that's what I created for this story. And like I almost always choose ingame, Isabela was to be his lover. Those two together are a perfect match in my opinion and were really easy to write together. Plus they just fit.  
Aiden on the other hand, is a little different. I modeled Aiden after my first playthrough of Origins. My Warden was a Cousland with short red hair, a neat red beard, and green eyes. And I (and ultimately my Warden) fell in love with a certain red headed bard. Aiden and Leliana are the perfect match. They are pure; they love each other like no one else. Everything they do together is sweet and delicate and they know each other like the back of their hands. To put it in perspective, Max and Cassandra have sex, Hawke and Isabela fuck, while Aiden and Leliana make love. It means the same thing but it's somehow different.   
And like all authors, I have a few of my own ideas in characters. Most of them go with Max but a few can be found elsewhere. I have a very negative view of the world and people as a whole and you can see that through Max's views. But you can also see hints of my own idea/ideals in characters like Siael or Aiden.   
What started out as a cool idea I had, turned into this whole big thing that's now over than a hundred chapters and counting. I love to write and I love writing/living with this story. And I won't stop until the entire story is told. Until it ends. Whether it's good or bad. Because that's all I'm really good at: writing stories of what could be. What would be cool if it was real. Because this story gives me a chance to leave my own life story behind and forget. At least for a while. Besides, there's freaking dragons! Why the hell would I _not_ write this?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this;) please comment if you have any thoughts or questions   
> I'll probably do another part or so of this. Cuz it's fun to jot down all my thoughts on random stuff about my story


End file.
